


Nights are for Sleeping

by ThatRandomFan



Series: Stack the Deck [4]
Category: Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Cardverse AU, M/M, Tumblr: Kamukoma Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-01-31 15:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18594334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatRandomFan/pseuds/ThatRandomFan
Summary: The king blinked before laughing. “Did Kamukura-kun skip his own sleep just to check up on me? Haha, I’m flattered!”(Cardverse AU where Kamukura just can't sleep so he decides to not allow Komaeda any sleep either)





	Nights are for Sleeping

**Author's Note:**

> It only felt right to update this au during kamukomaweek seeing as it was born during kamukomaweek. Also, it's funny because it shares the same prompt as the [first one](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15414219) but while that focuses more on recovery, this is more on the comfort side of things. Clearly, it's saying something. Oh! And this is meant to be for yesterday but ah... I suck with time. So yeah. Enjoy! 
> 
> KamuKoma Week Day 5: **comfort** / ~~recovery~~

Kamukura Izuru noticed it the first time he tried to sleep.

No matter what position he was in – _on his side, on his back, even on his stomach_ – he just couldn’t find himself getting any sleep. At first he figured that it was simply due to how he slept for quite a time prior to his awakening. However, days passed with countless tests and check-ups, and yet Kamukura was still faced with the same dilemma.

Sleep remained elusive to the raven-haired genius.

While his body could withstand days without sleep, his psyche has started showing signs of strain.

“The fuck is up with you,” the Spadian Jack – “ _For the last time, it’s Matsuda” –_ stated instead of asking, something he appreciated. No point in hiding the obvious, especially under the man’s scrutinizing glare. Thus, Kamukura told the other of his sleepless nights, and non-existent dreams.

The Jack scowled and consulted his notes, double checking everything that could have potentially caused the anomaly. Meanwhile, Kamukura remained seated and contented himself with the view outside the window.

It has only been a few days - _four days, 19 hours, 26 minutes, and 38 seconds -_  after his awakening, but he could already see the changes happening within the kingdom. Relieved sighs permeated the air as people busied themselves into repairing what has been destroyed by the floods. Even the land itself, showed signs of healing – _the flora and fauna thrived, new species making itself known to man, old ones coming back from their hiding places_ – as if it were a phoenix reborn from the ashes.

He wondered how long this peace would last.

The Jack’s irritated snort snapped him out of his musings. Eager to get out of the room and explore the castle once more – _the secret passages, the hidden rooms, the treasure trove of unseen items_ – he faced the man, signaling that he was indeed listening.

“Figure out what’s wrong with you. The diagnostics didn’t find anything wrong so clearly-” Matsuda leveled him with a glare, “-it’s your fault.”

He could have just easily told him that should the Jack have asked. After all, Kamukura has done nothing but follow every directive given to him. No more and no less. Therefore, the problem lies with him. It was so obvious that he almost redacted his earlier unspoken compliment to the man before him. Regardless, Kamukura nodded and did as the Jack told him.

He would figure out what was wrong with himself and fix it.

…

The next day, Matsuda found him mixing various potions together inside the laboratory, with the intention of drinking it in order to sleep. 

Kamukura was then indefinitely banned from going there without supervision - " _We don't need another comatose patient, you dumb idiot!"_  

...

Kamukura twist and turned in the bed, brows furrowed in a rare show of discomfort.

Much like all the other nights before his confession to Matsuda, he found himself lying down on the bed - _wide awake and absolutely nothing to do_. He could easily get up and do something, but that would be counter-productive to his goal: to finally get some sleep.

A few days has passed since his visit with the king – _and his first peaceful rest ever since his awakening_ – and Kamukura was once again unable to sleep. First, the bed was too cold, and then it was too hot. Next, it was too big, then it was not. No matter what position he did - _freefall_ , _log, spread-eagle; he has done it all_ \- the bed always felt much too uncomfortable for him.

It boggled his mind.

Nothing changed in the bed. No one was allowed to touch it; Kamukura made sure of this. The room remained unchanged as well. So what could possibly be the cause of this?

He thought back to the events prior and after his first sleep. Nothing significant happened other than finally meeting the king, and working on waking him up.

Kamukura blinked.

It all leads back to the king somehow.

Determined? Intrigued? Eager? Regardless of whatever it was that pushed him to hurriedly walk towards the Western wing, Kamukura was set on finding out the answer to his questions.

When he reached the room the king was sleeping in, Kamukura barely broke a sweat despite how fast he was walking. He quietly allowed himself in, closing the door just as quietly, and stepped close to the sleeping monarch.

Much like his own room, this too remained unchanged, and yet...

Kamukura pressed a hand in his chest, just like his earlier visit, an unknown feeling blossomed within him.

It was…

_Calm._

_Serene._

_Soothing._

...completely unlike the first time he saw the king…

_pounding chest,_

_heightened senses,_

_unexplainable wish to touch_

...and Kamukura was stumped.

It doesn't make sense.

And yet, despite everything, he found himself sitting beside him - _admiring his soft visage, and the sweet smile on his plump lips._

It would be so easy. All he needs to do was to lean down and press his lips on the other. No one has to know – _no one here to witness it_ – but there was this nagging feeling - _a pressure inside his head, begging for him to stop_ \- that it wasn’t the proper time just yet.

Resolved to get some rest but unable to will himself to leave the room, Kamukura lied down beside the king - _as close as he could without disturbing him_  - and closed his eyes.

…

If Matsuda found him sleeping beside the king the next day, he didn’t mention it.

And, if Kamukura resolved to sneak out every night to go sleep beside the king, no one dared talk about it.

…

It only got worse once the king woke up.

With no more reason to stay near him, Kamukura was once again trapped in his room for the night. He lied awake – _eyes wide and lips pressed_ – and stared at the bland ceiling judging him. He sighed and closed his eyes but it was no use. Sleep remained out of his grasps, tempting him with its sweet promise only to turn away the moment he was close.

It was… something akin to how he felt whenever the king insists on working instead of taking care of himself.

_“Frustration,”_ a voice in his head said.

Perhaps, if he wasn’t too focused on his jumbled sentiments, Kamukura may have questioned it further. But, as it stands, he merely twisted and turned, and twisted and turned, and

Kamukura sat up from his bed.

He tossed his covers away and walked out of his room. He settled with merely walking around aimlessly, but soon enough, as if his sleep addled mind knew exactly what the solution to his dilemma was, he found himself facing a familiar door - _ornate oak with gilded trimmings and jeweled knobs_.

Kamukura could hear footsteps inside – _feather light against carpeted floor slowly getting louder and closer_ – and was not surprised to see the door opening.

“Kamukura-kun…?” the king said, rubbing his eyes with his free hand, the other still holding the door open. “Is something the matter?”

Maybe there was. It was still dark out – _only a couple of hours past midnight_ – yet, here the king was, clearly awake. “Why are you not sleeping?”

The king blinked – _once, twice_ – before laughing. “Did Kamukura-kun skip his own sleep just to check up on me? Haha, I’m flattered!”

Kamukura did not bother to correct him and merely walked inside, completely at ease, as if the room was his instead of the king. He noted the papers on the desk tucked at the corner of the room and the fresh pot of tea on top of the table.

“Tea?” the king offered, already getting a cup for him as Kamukura settled on the sofa.

“You have not answered my question yet.”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you not sleeping?”

“Ah…” The king closed his eyes and sighed, cradling his cup near him. “To be honest, Kamukura-kun, I just woke up,” he smiled over his cup towards him.

Kamukura noted that Komaeda Nagito was an early riser.

“But enough about me,” Komaeda lowered his cup, filling it with tea again. “Is something wrong, Kamukura-kun? I didn’t take you as the sort to wake up before sunrise,” the king laughed.

“Sleep eludes me.”

“A-ah…?” The king blinked, brows furrowed in confusion so he repeated his statement. “Well… is there something I could do to help?”

_'You could let me sleep beside you_ ,’ Kamukura thought and immediately disregarded. Given their circumstances, to do that would be a grave error on their part. With Komaeda Nagito as king and him as the secret upcoming queen, to share a bed would be _scandalous_. The rumors that would float around has the potential to cause ruin not only to the king’s image but also to the kingdom itself.

The only reason Kamukura managed to get away with his earlier nightly excursions was because he has a valid reason - _"All you have to do is wake him up."_  Now that the king was awake and in peak condition, there was no more reason for Kamukura to stay with him for the night.

“Probably not,” Kamukura answered after a while, sipping his tea.

Komaeda hummed and reached for one of the many books on his table - _a foreign one that has no copies in the library_. He scanned it and glanced over his companion when he settled on a certain page. “Well, I won’t be sleeping anytime soon, so, feel free to stay as long as you like Kamukura-kun,” he smiled.

He nodded and enjoying the companionable silence between them. Done with his drink, he turned to watch the king - _leaned back, a distant look in his eyes_ \- and noted the bags beneath his eyes - _dark and swollen, born out of countless nights_ \- figuring that perhaps he wasn’t the only one with problems sleeping.

“...Is it too quiet, Kamukura-kun?” the king’s smooth voice cut through the silence.

“No.” And he meant it. Kamukura enjoyed the silence between them _\- it was preferable to the ones within his room_ \- but he enjoyed Komaeda’s voice even more. “...Read to me?”

If the king was surprised by his request, he didn’t show it and instead brightened up at the idea. “If Kamukura-kun wishes so, how could I possibly say no.”

And he didn’t.

For what remained of that evening, the King of Spades read stories upon stories to his quiet audience, reveling on how the other soaked up his words and seemingly soothed by the sound of his voice. And if he found a raven-haired man leaning peacefully on his shoulder, sleeping away the next morning, Komaeda Nagito didn’t say anything.

He merely tucked him in his bed and left the room, leaving a note telling Kamukura of his whereabouts and a promise to always keep his door open for a late night book club for two.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to hit kudos if you enjoyed it, or better yet, tell me in the comments. If you want to get more details about this au, feel free to drop by on my tumblr, [collegiate-trash](https://collegiate-trash.tumblr.com/tagged/cardverse-au), and ask about it. That's all, thanks for reading!


End file.
